Apparatus for and process of the manufacture of rubber footwear.



. V J T. CROWLEY. APPARATUS FOR AND PROCESS OF THE MANUFACTURE OF RUBBER FOOTWEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1913.

Patented m 22,1914.

IINVENTOR ITNE'SSES:

i To all'whom it may cone-em rants Rummasnon, coiu'rnny, non osconnncmmnr MEDSTATES :P T TOFF JOHN T. CROWLEY,-

embarra s, conuncrmnr; assxenoa ro was m or BEACON- rfALLs, coNNEc'ncUrr, A consona- ArrAeArUs r012; Ann rno'cii'ss or The MANUFACTURE or misses, roo'rwnaa.

Be it known that I, J OHN T. caownsga citizen of the United States, residing in Beacon Falls, in the county of- New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Apparatus for and'Process-of the Mann- A facture of Rubber Footwear, of which the wood when subjected to heat and moisture it was founcbpreferable to carry on the Yulcanization by a dry -.or hot air processgI, Until quite recently metallic forms or lasts With the advent,"

-following is a specification.

This method has been This invention relates to the manufacture of rubber footwear, and has for an object to provide a method of and device for keeping dry the linings'of rubber boots and shoes during steam vulcanization thereof. a

For along periodrubber boots and shoes have been vulcanized while upon wooden lasts or for s. Owing to the action of the were prohibitive in pricie, however, of a practical) e method of making metalliclasts, recou i' 'se steam curing or rulcanization' of rubber footwear. At times, during the process of steam vulcanizatio moisture appears bet'weenthe article and, the last, which moisture is liable to stain the lining, most of these articles being provided with abric lining'of some desc iption. It is not known exactly'at what. time the moisture finds accessbetweentne article and the last: prob-- ably shortlyafter the admission steam to the vulcanizing chamber and before the articles, the 'lasts and whatever air may be in the chamber and within the article under treatment, have reached such a temperature that the dense.

moisture .of the steam will not con- Some workers have tried to prevent this condensation by applying the expedient common in other branches of rubber manufacture of hermetically sealing the openend of the article under treatment to the last, to thereby prevent theentrance of the .vulcanizing medium to the interior of the article. found undesirable owing to the fact that whatever air is between the article and the form will not readily escape during tllQPlEllIXllIlfilY heating up which takes place, upon the first entrance of the vulcanizing medium to the chamber.' In some cases the expansion of Specification a: Letters Patent.

has'been vhad to the 'ization will be stands n the YlllChnlZRtlOll chamber. The

. into the soapstone 10 the gas, air 'or vapor may force its 'way out past the seal or} dam and thus-make a chan- :.nel by which moisture can gainiaccess to. the

interior. By my improvement, however, the vulcanizing med um 1s permitted to enter freely. within the. article under treat- I Patented Dec,. 22, 1914:. Application filed March 21, 1913. Serial/No. 755,932.

ment and to :fintl; access thereto betweenits innersurface arid the mold or lastL' But to g prevent the injurious and unsightly discoloration of the lining incident to the condensation ofmoistur'e', that portion of the vulcanizmg medium which .isadmitted to the 7 interior, or which is admitted betweenthe form and the articha. is freed from moisture.

For, accomplishing this a filter or absorbent .is applied to the pen'end of the article'in" such a position that it will readily permit ,thee'xit of air or gas from within the article, and/will as readily permit the entrance of the vulcanizing,"medium, but will filter from itall moisture.

In the "lrawing accompanying this speci-' fication one practicable device for practising the invention is illustrated, wherein the evice is shown in vertical section and a boot. partly broken away to show the last,

,is illustratedin position in a vulcanizer;

IIi't-his drawing there isshown a commercial form of metallic last 1,-upon which isa rubber boot'Q. The last is provided with pin holes at itsf'end, that istheend whichis at tin-3111313811 or open'end of the boot but'whi'ch; according to the present practice of vulcan moisture filter is illustrated at 3, and in the present showingcomprises a cup having a bottom 4: and side walls 5. In the bottom 4 the lowerend as the device. A

are provided a pair of thimbles 6'which receive the pins 7 of the rack 8, which is-located within ,the vulcanizing chamber 9. These pins and thimbles are for entrance holes at the end of the last for supporting the last'and boot in an upright position Y in the vulcanizing. chamber. The sides of the cup are sufiiciently high so as to. extend beyond the top or open end'of'the.

. boot when this IS in position; After the boot and last have beenplaced. in position upon this upon the rack, powdered the cup and will be placed the cup 'in 45 a filter-of openfliend ofthe boot andpresdr'fts nner-so that-whatever, moisture may be entrained or part of the vulcan i'z'ing'inediuinwill hefiljterd from suchlmedium and prevented! time iiom; entering the boot. The dry gas, how- .iat' v lu iwly191 8 n t e boo an wh gasor airmay bewithin the boot my,

expansion or by reason the Efgetit will be apparent: that changes ma e made withinthe scopeof the. claims without departing from the spirit fythe'inventionq f r ll'clalm as my invention-1+ '-1-:--1.- That improvement inthe 'arto steam curing; rubber "boots shoes which: con-:-

sists' -in placingthe sameupbrrlzfsts,

arnois'tnre'fil ter at the open end ofthe. arti cle3and then ulcanizing the said articles by .25jsteam, a

' method ofjtr eat iiig imbter, ioqe wearwhichconsi'sts 1n placingthe same m yul ani ing "medium to the chamber and gpresenting the s'ameto the interior-f and the surfaces of the article, and filtering j-jtrligei'moisturel from that portion'of the said I canizing {medium which" enters the said lclefiminediateiy prior to such entrance;

65' 1,13. The method of treating rubber boots:

which-consist's'inpresen .izm'g medium to the exter or surface ofthe ,jhootand ffreeingfaportion of snch yl lcaniz ,ingmedium jof'moi'sture and presnting the"- to thein'te'rior surface-of the boot.

" j-thereoffand the adjacent portion of thelast powderedsoapstone, thenp1acthe boot or shoe and filterin -a nlc'aniz- Qf,..pressure leg of the boot, pass out through I iii Although but one form of ca iryino out P v fir filtering r material specifically 15 riientioned,

placing ting 'a-moistvulan -iin'gjchamberi *andthen: admitting steam to l and I positioning lasts? 5. In a vulcanizing device thecombinw .tion with' axlastmack and means for holding thereon, Sand-- 9, on

having devices. for engaging the'J-s'aid posltioning and holding and .adaptedfor receii in within its' chem means, and constructed her the end of a last and or holding a filtering medium against the .last mam-Butt; or shoethereon A 6. .A device'for keeping'dry-the linings of rubber boots and shoes duringrsteam vulcanization thereof, comprising mean's for :holdinga moisturefilter at the open end of the'boot or shoe. 7. A device for keeping dry. the of 'rubbervboots and shoes during steam Vulcanization thereoflcomprising moisture filter- 66 ingmaterial, anda the same at the open end holderv -for maintaining .of the boot or shoe.

8.: Adevice' for ke'epi'ngdry the linings of .rubber boots and shoes during steam vulcanization thereof, comprising a; bOdjOf pow-' 70 dered soapstone and a holderfor maintaining the same atthe open-end'of the boot or at-ijijtulcanizing' chamber; then admitting a,

-shoe. l

9.-: The combination; with a last, of powdered soapstone,

. of a Body and a holder for maintaining the saidybody of powdered soapstone 1n a of the .last and the. portion of the upon such portion of the last. 10; The combination with a. last "for" a position to envelop a portion article rubber boot, and a ter for'permitting the "entrance of thevulcanizing medium-between the last and a boot thereon and I Pr t n the entrance of moisture therewithl f Infwitness "whereof, I have hereunto 8.5 signed my namein the presence of two s'ubscribing witnesses.

@ 'onn CROWLEY J. U. Fans 1s 

